Japan plans to require Chinese online shopping platforms such as SHEIN to provide sales information to strengthen border control
As customs inspections find it difficult to respond to the influx of counterfeit goods, the Japanese government will set up a conference to require cross-border e-commerce companies to take countermeasures.
Quick Look
In view of the influx of low-priced goods and counterfeit goods purchased online from overseas, the Japanese government will establish an agreement with Chinese e-commerce players such as SHEIN and Temu as early as this year to require the provision of sales information and strengthen border control to prevent illegal goods from being put on the shelves.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In recent years, Chinese e-commerce companies such as SHEIN and Temu have become popular in Japan. The import volume of low-priced goods has increased rapidly, making customs inspections difficult to handle.
(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 3rd Comprehensive Foreign News Report) Japanese media reported that since customs inspections have been unable to cope with the flow of counterfeit goods into Japan, the Japanese government will require online shopping platform operators in China and other places to provide sales information and take relevant countermeasures to strengthen border control.
The "Yomiuri Shimbun" reported that the popularity of two major Chinese e-commerce websites, SHEIN and Temu, has increased in Japan in recent years, especially among young people. The import volume of low-priced goods has also increased rapidly.
The Japanese government will establish a council composed of the Ministry of Finance and industry as soon as this year, and invite Japanese subsidiaries of SHEIN and Temu to participate. After discussions at the Council, the government will formulate response policies including measures such as providing sales information before next summer.
Japan will import approximately 227 million items in 2025, approximately five times that of 2019 before the COVID-19 epidemic. Among them, items with a value of less than 10,000 yen account for more than 90% of all imported items.
As people purchase low-priced clothing and cosmetics from overseas, most of the imported items are purchased online. Products imported through three websites: SHEIN, Temu, and Qoo10, which sells a large number of Korean-made products, accounted for more than 60% of the total imported items.
Since customs inspections cannot keep up with the increase in import volume, there have been cases of illegal goods being imported through Chinese e-commerce websites. The Japanese government hopes to require businesses to take measures through the association to prevent illegal or inappropriate products from being listed and sold on websites.
The report pointed out that Chinese e-commerce websites have also caused various problems overseas. French prosecutors launched an investigation last year on the grounds that the adult products sold by SHEIN were suspected of being illegal child pornography; European consumer groups also announced that they found chargers that could cause fires and necklaces containing harmful substances.
The European Union and the United Kingdom plan to require e-commerce merchants to submit product and transaction-related information when selling goods, and Japan also hopes to keep pace with other countries.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Japanese government will establish an agreement within this year to invite e-commerce companies to participate
Likely · Within months
Develop response strategies including providing sales information and other measures by next summer
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific enforcement measures will be included in the agreement?
- Can the industry fully cooperate in providing sales information?
